The Story Behind Lady Gaga’s Custom Alaïa at the Oscars: “It Was a No-Brainer”

There’s been lots of buzz surrounding Lady Gaga’s Oscar looks—and no, not just because of the red gloves. She hit the carpet wearing a custom Alaïa gown in Azzedine’s signature full-skirted silhouette—the first time the designer’s made-to-measure has been worn to the show—and, according to her Twitter, she’ll be wearing three of his looks in total. “Mr. Alaïa has been so kind to us throughout the years,” Gaga’s stylist Brandon Maxwell told Style.com. He’s welcomed us into his home and atelier, and we’ve made so many special memories. When I heard that Gaga would be doing the Oscars, it was a no-brainer. There is no one that makes a dress like Mr. Alaïa.”

And as for the cherry red handwear that had the Internet going nuts—“The gloves were Mr. Alaïa’s vision,” said Maxwell. “He sent an original sketch with red accents and we tried to honor that the best we could in our hair and makeup choices. She has an incredible team, Frederic Aspiras for hair and Sarah Tanno for makeup, and we all loved coming together to create this moment.”

Gaga herself took to Facebook to express her excitement, and to share a few additional details about her first look: “It took 1600 hrs of embroidery and 25 people in Paris, he's never before made a dress for the Oscars. What an honor. The gloves were hand dyed Crimson, baby orchid blooms hand painted in my hair and killer pear shaped diamonds by Lorraine Schwartz.”

Note to award-show designers and stylists of the future: Take a hands-on approach, gloves included.